Plenum type muffler



1951 M. R. PATTERSON PLENUM TYPE MUFFLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 22, 1959 INVENTOR.

N o m m E E m T o MurT P m R m v m Mm Aug. 15, 1961 M. R. PATTERSON PLENUM TYPE MUFFLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 22, 1959 ATTORNEYS lllllvlll I United States Patent 2,996,139 PLENUM TYPE MUFFLER Mervin R. Patterson, Crystal, Mich., assignor to Runyen Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Michigan Filed June 22, 1959, Ser. No. 822,039 Claims. (Cl. 18141) This invention relates to improvements in the muffler art, and more particularly to a novel and improved plenum type muffler for the exhausts of internal combustion engines or the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a muffler which includes a plenum chamber having a plurality of outlet pipes and which is adapted to be mounted in the conventional position on a vehicle by the addition of a tailpipe chamber, or which may be mounted directly to the rear end of the tailpipe of the vehicle without the use of the tailpipe chamber and by replacing the regular mufiler with a tailpipe section.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved mui'lier of the plenum type which may be used on any type of an engine and which will provide more power with an increase in gas mileage.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved plenum type muffler which does not have any baffies in the plenum chamber and which is blow-out proof, simple and compact in construction, economical of manufacture and efficient in operation.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts of the several views.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, taken along the line 22 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional vew of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2, taken along the line 3-3 thereof, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a slightly modified second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a side elevatio-nal view of a third embodiment of the invention; and,

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a fourth embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 3 wherein is shown a first embodiment of the invention, the numeral 10 indicates a cylindrical plenum chamber 10 which is enclosed at the front and rear ends thereof by the end plates 11 and 12, respectively. The end plates 11 and 12 are fixedly secured to the tubular chamber or body 10 by any suitable means, as welding. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the front end plate 11 is provided with a hole 13 therethrough in which is fixedly mounted the inlet tube 14 which would be connected to the manifold outlet pipe of an internal combustion engine in the usual manner. The rear end plate 12 is provided with a plurality of holes therethrough as 15 in which are mounted the outlet pipes or tubes 16, 17, 18, 19, and 21.

The muffler may be made from any suitable material as, for example, the tubular chamber 19 may be made from welded steel tubing of a thickness of approximately .065 inch. The end plates may be made from steel plates of approximately .085 inch thickness. The inlet and outlet tubes may be made from suitable steel tubing as, for example, a 16 gauge steel tubing.

2,996,139 Patented Aug. 15, 1961 I have found that the mufiier of the present invention can be used on automobiles, trucks, farm tractors and the like to provide increased power, improved gas mileage and with improved engine performance whereby the engine runs in a more free and easy manner. I have also found that the volume of the plenum chamber 10 and the number and size of the outlet tubes must be made in accordance with the following described procedure. The length L and inner diameter D of the muffler body 10 is determined from the displacement of the engine to which the mufller is to be attached. For example, if the engine has a 300 cubic inch displacement, then the length L and inner diameter D of the body 10 is calculated as follows. The square root of the displacement is first determined, and in the example given the square root of 300 would be 17.32. The square root of the engine displacement is then multiplied by the number of cylinders, and in the example given this would be 17.32 8, which would equal 138.56 square inches, which would be the volume of the body 10 for optimum muffler conditions.

The length L and inner diameter D are then calculated by means of the usual formula for computing the volume of a cylinder, as shown herebelow.

2 Volurne=% L The embodiment of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 is adapted to be mounted on the end of a regular tailpipe with the regular muiller being replaced by a tailpipe section. Accordingly, the outlet tubes 16 through 21 would exhaust directly to the atmosphere at the rear end of the vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a slightly modified embodiment of the invention which is made similar to the embodiment of FIGS. l-3. The various parts of the embodiment of FIG. 4 which are similar to the first embodiment are marked with corresponding reference numerals followed by the small letter a." The only difference between the embodiment of FIG. 4 and the first described embodiment is that the rear plate 12a is disposed so as to face slightly downwardly whereby the outlet tubes will be directed toward the ground so as to direct the exhaust gases downwardly from the vehicle. The structure and function of the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 4 are similar. In both of these embodiments when the plenum chamber 10 is made in the aforedes'cribed manner, a muffler will be provided which experience has shown to be efficient in operation.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the invention which is adapted to be used in the same location as conventional muffiers. In this embodiment of FIG. 5 the parts corresponding to the similar parts of the embodiment of FIG. 1 are marked by corresponding reference numerals followed by the small letter b. In this embodiment of FIG. 5 a tailpipe chamber 22 is provided to provide a mechanical connection means to connect the muffler of the present invention to the usual tailpipe 27. The chamber 22 is provided with the front and rear end plates 23 and "24, respectively, which are fixedly mounted in any suitable manner as by welding. The rear end of the muffler outlet tubes 16b through 21b are fixedly mounted in suitable apertures in the plate 23, as the aper- 3 ture 25. The usual tailpipe 27 would be fixedly mounted in the hole 26 in the rear plate 24. The volume of the tailpipe chamber 22 would be made equal to the volume of the muffler plenum chamber 10b. The embodiment of FIG. 5 functions in the same manner and produces the same result as the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 4.

FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention which is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 5 and the corresponding parts thereof have been marked with similar reference numerals followed by the small letter 0. The only difference between the embodiment of FIG. 6 and that of FIG. 5 is that the rear end plate 120 is dis posed in a sloping manner so as to face downwardly and the front end plate 23c of the tailpipe chamber 22c is disposed to slope upwardly to receive the downwardly sloping outlet tubes 160 through 21c.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiments of the invention herein disclosed are Well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a rnufiler for an internal combustion engine, the combination comprising: a plenum chamber; an inlet tube having one end connected to the front end of said chamber and the other end being connectible to the exhaust system of the engine; the volumetric size of said plenum chamber being equal to the square root of the displacement of the engine multtiplied by the number of cylinders in the engine; and, a plurality of outlet tubes connected to the rear end of the plenum chamber.

2. In a muffler for an internal combustion engine, the combination comprising: a plenum chamber; an inlet tube having one end connected to the front end of said chamber and the other end being connectible to the exhaust system of the engine; the volumetric size of said plenum chamber being equal to the square root of the displacement of the engine multiplied by the number of cylinders in the engine; a plurality of outlet tubes connected to the rear end of the plenum chamber; and, the total internal cross sectional area of said outlet tubes being less than the cross sectional area of the exhaust manifold outlet pipe on the engine.

3. In a muffler for an internal combustion engine, the combination comprising: a plenum chamber; an inlet tube having one end connected to the front end of said chamber and the other end being connectible to the exhaust system of the engine; the volumetric size of said plenum chamber being equal to the square root of the displacement of the engine multiplied by the number of cylinders in the engine; a plurality of outlet tubes connected to the rear end of the plenum chamber; at least three outlet tubes connected to the rear end of the plenum chamber; and, the total internal cross sectional area of said outlet tubes being less than the cross sectional area of the exhaust manifold outlet pipe on the engine.

4. The invention defined in claim 3, wherein said outlet tubes are each substantially eight inches in length.

5. The invention defined in claim 3, including, an exhust tailpipe chamber connected at one end thereof to said outlet tubes and at the other end thereof to the engine exhaust tailpipe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 674,210 Loomis May 14, 1901 1,021,254 Larkins Mar. 26, 1912 1,855,165 Barker Apr. 19, 1932 1,953,264 Rauen et al. Apr. 3, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,178 Great Britain 1915 139,369 Great Britain Mar. 4, 1920 854,651 France Jan. 24, 1940 

